The present subject matter relates generally to file verification and authentication. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and system to authenticate and verify the originality of a file.
The advent of compact cameras and camera-enabled mobile devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets) has vastly increased the number of video recordings and photographs that are uploaded to the Internet. Many of these videos and photographs include a timestamp, indicates the date and time the video or photograph was taken and a geotag, indicates the location the video or photograph was taken. Geotagging is possible if a camera-enabled device includes a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver.
The timestamp and geotag may be electronically stamped in the video or itself, such that they are visible to anyone who views the video or photograph. Additionally, the timestamp and geotag may be located in metadata of the video or image file.
Timestamps and geotags are often used to authenticate and verify the originality of video or photograph. This authentication and verification ensures that the video or photograph was truly taken and created at the time and or location that the video or photograph displays or is presents in its metadata. The creator of a video or photograph can authenticate the file so that its originality can later be verified by anyone who views it.
However, timestamping and/or geotagging a video or photograph is not a foolproof method of authenticating the originality of the video or photograph. This is because a timestamp and geotag can be faked from the start, resulting in a false timestamp and geotag. For example, a user can adjust the settings of their camera to make it seem as though video or photograph was taken at a different time and location than it actually was. Additionally, metadata editor programs allow a user to modify a video or photographs timestamp and geotag.
Another common method used to authenticate the date and time of a video or photograph is to include a front page of a newspaper in the video or photograph. However, this method is not foolproof either because the appearance of the newspaper does not fully verify that the photograph was taken on that date. For example, if a particular newspaper is shown in the video or photograph, it means that the video or photograph was taken on the date of or after the newspaper date. Additionally, verification by showing a newspaper the user is not always possible because the creator may not have a newspaper to include in the video or photograph.
US2012/0183270 teaches a method for verifying that the user is human and not a machine by asking the user to make gestures while streaming live video, analyzing such complex movements might be difficult and an only be done manually with someone else on the other end verifying, furthermore it cannot be used for verifying date or location.
Proper video and photograph authentication and verification has many important use cases. One such use case in the event of a car accident. Often times, photographs of the accident are included with an insurance claim. Proper verification ensures that the photographs were taken at the time and location of the accident, thus helping to prevent insurance fraud.
Verification is also used to authenticate the originality of evidence in a criminal or civil trial. For example, if a surveillance video is being presented as evidence in a criminal trial to prove that the defendant committed the crime in question, the video authenticity of the video must be verified, including that the video was truly taken at the date and time.
Authentication is also important in journalism. Camera-enabled mobile devices have made it easier for even members of the public to take videos and photographs when they see newsworthy events, such as a criminal act or accident. These videos and photographs are often used by mainstream media sources when reporting on the story, and thus the verification of their originality is vital.
Accordingly, there is a need for a verification system that allows one to verify the originality of a computer file, particularly a video recording, including the date, time, and location the file was created, as described herein.